Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild TGA Footage Revealed

Nintendo unveils fresh footage of the forthcoming Wii U and Switch action-adventure title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at The Game Awards 2016.

Just a couple of days ago, Geoff Keighley took to his Twitter and made mention of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild making an appearance at this year’s Game Awards, and true to his word, one of the most anticipated video games of 2017 was given room to strut its stuff before and during the ceremony. Prior to these particular reveals, the last time that the Big N deigned to grace its fans with new materials for the game was about a month ago when it compiled several videos of Link exploring the open world, cooking food, utilizing a variety of different arrows in combat, and much more.

The teaser that aired at the top of The Game Awards 2016’s pre-show alone (as seen directly below) has packed in plenty of items of interest tothose following The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild since its announcement, as it contains a tease of the first look at Zelda herself, a flying wooden airship, what appear to be towns and settlements, and more. As seen in the footage in the clip following the first video, however, Nintendo offers fans a more in-depth look at what it will be like to assume the role of Link as he quests to find shrines within Hyrule, with the gameplay highlighting elements such as weapons falling into disrepair during combat and the intuitiveness of the enemy AI.

With Breath of the Wild being the first true Zelda game in five years since the release of the Wii’s Skyward Sword, it makes plenty of sense for so much hype to be surrounding the game. Not to mention, the action-adventure title is already being lauded by critics as it has received top honors at the E3 2016 Game Critics Awards and was even named the Best of gamescom 2016.

Considering all of the promotional assets that have been released for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so far, it’s safe to say that Nintendo is content to take some chances with the brand by making some interesting tweaks and changes to the franchise’s formula. This, of course, backs up the series producer Eiji Aonuma’s claims several months ago that Breath of the Wild is going to be “something new” in the vein of Ocarina of Time.

Comparing the forthcoming entry to the Zelda franchise to what many consider to be an all-time classic video game is a bold move on Aonuma’s part, but it could very well be the case that Breath of the Wild breaks the mold just like its N64 predecessor in Ocarina of Time did. Even so, Nintendo needs the title to not only be adored by fans and critics alike, but also needs it to be a financial boon, as the Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Breath of the Wild must pass 2 million units in sales to be successful. While some may view that figure as a low bar to clear, it still remains to be seen if it can be done.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently slated for release in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U.